Collection
by crazystrings
Summary: This is my sequel to Picture Perfect. Ashley struggles with recovering from her gunshot wounds, not working and her feelings for Spencer. But a new player in town may threaten those women closest to Ashley and maybe herself.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own any South of Nowhere characters, just love writing them. Hope you enjoy and please review, I love to know what you think!**

I will be the first person to admit I am a horrible patient. I'm sure the doctors and nurses who treated me at Froedart Hospital were counting the days until I would be released. I was in the hospital for an additional two weeks after I woke up. I got the impression during those weeks that some of the staff, if not most, would have preferred me to be in a coma since I was such a royal bitch when I was awake.

My family also spent much of those weeks at the hospital too. Personally I didn't want my son Sebastian to see me like this, I thought it would scare him. But my son is as stubborn as I am so there was no keeping him away.

One of the few times we were able to get Sebastian out of the room Aiden took the opportunity to have a serious conversation.

"Ash you know that Bash and I have been staying at my parents house since the shooting." Aiden started tentatively.

"Right." I responded wondering where he was going with this.

Aiden sighed, "Honestly, I don't know if I can go back to living in that house."

It was my turn to sigh because I had been thinking the same thing, "I know Aiden. I might be able to but I'm not even sure. I can't imagine what it might do to Bash mentally. But what can we do?"

"Well your dad approached me with an idea a couple days after you were shot."

"Really?" I blurted out in shock. My family basically tolerated Aiden because he was Sebastian's father, beyond that fact they mostly disliked my ex.

Aiden laughed, "Yeah I was pretty surprised he sought me out and willingly talked to me."

I smiled and asked, "What was his idea?"

"He suggested a new house."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he did but I'm a long way from wanting to house hunt Aiden. Plus I can't afford a new house without selling the house and who's gonna buy that house after what happened?"

"Well, if you would let me finish Ash I can explain." Aiden teased.

"Sorry, go on."

"Well your dad figured we should tear down the house and build a new one." He stated with a smile.

I rolled my eyes again. "Great idea but that will cost a small fortune that I don't have obviously if I don't have the money to buy a new house. I mean homicide detective may be an impressive title but the pay is far less impressive."

Aiden was smiling when he replied, "That may all normally be true but this is a special circumstance. But between your dad's connections and your local hero status the cost of the new house is virtually nonexistent."

I looked in his eyes for a few moments before I responded. "This is already happening, isn't it?"

Aiden suddenly seemed nervous as he responded, "They dug up the last of the original foundation yesterday."

"Holy shit, are you kidding me?"

"No but it's all good." Aiden replied with a tentative smile. "Your dad didn't want to waste any time."

I just shook my head. There was a lot about this situation that concerned me but there were a couple things I had to address. "You and Bash are moving back once the new house is done, right?"

Aiden laughed and replied, "I'm counting the days til the house is supposed to be done. My mothers constant nagging is driving me crazy. I think it's even getting to Bash too."

I laughed then decided to address the other issue on my mind. "So where do I get to stay once I get out of here? Cause we both know your mom is more likely to welcome every poisonous beast in the world into her home before she would welcome me."

Aiden shrugged, "I don't know if I'd go that far Ash. Mom hates spiders so you'd probably get the invite over a black widow or any other poisonous arachnid."

We smirked at each other then burst out laughing. Unfortunately my laughs quickly turned into painful coughs.

Once I could breath again Aiden handed me a glass of water and said, "I'm sorry Ash, I didn't mean to send you into a coughing fit."

I shook my head, "It's okay Aiden. But I've gotta say, whoever said laughter is the best medicine never had a bullet nick their lung obviously."

Aiden smiled tentatively at that statement then said, "To answer your earlier question, we moved your stuff to Kyla's basement. When they release you that's where you'll stay until the house is done."

"Great! Recouping in the rec room of two teenage boys should be relaxing!" I replied sarcastically.

About a week and a half after that conversation Hayley turned up at the hospital with Sebastian to take me to Kyla's house.

After the doctor gave me a last once over he signed the papers to allow me to go home. The nurse came in and gave me some final instructions and gave me my paperwork. After she left the room I smirked imagining the doctor and nurses doing a happy dance at the nurses station because I was finally leaving.

After I changed into my own clothes I headed for the door. Just as I opened the door a girl who looked like she was about twelve arrived pushing in a wheelchair.

"Have a seat." she said with a cheery smile.

"Are you kidding me?" I said with a laugh. "My legs work just fine. I can walk myself out of here just fine."

"It's hospital policy ma'am." The girl replied, the cheeriness had significantly diminished.

I rolled my eyes and was about to reply when Hayley butted in. "Sit your butt down in that chair Davies. Don't make this poor girls job any harder."

Sebastian laughed then said, "Oooohh, aunty Hayley told you mommy."

I laughed and replied, "That she did little man." I gave in and sat in the wheelchair.

Hayley nodded with approval, "I'll bring the car around." She turned to Sebastian and asked, "You wanna come with me Bash or do you want to stay with your mom?"

"I'll stay with mommy!" he said confidently.

"Okay. Make sure she's nice to this young lady." Hayley said with a wink for Bash and a smile for the young hospital employee.

"No problem aunty Hayley. I think she's less grumpy when I'm around." Bash said with a big smile.

"I think you're right little man." Hayley said with a laugh.

I tried to sound annoyed, "You two know I'm right here, right? There's nothing wrong with my hearing."

Hayley and Sebastian smiled at each other then Hayley answered, "Yeah we know." She winked then left the room.

I couldn't help but laugh at my son and my partner. I even heard the girl behind the wheelchair laugh.

"Ready to go?" the girl asked, the cheeriness back in her voice.

I turned to her and asked, "Am I allowed passengers?"

She smiled and looked at Sebastian. "Why not? The more the merrier."

"Alright hop on little man, we're going for a ride." I said with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Living in Kyla's house was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I had been worried that my nephew's would be a bit upset that I took over their basement rec room with the giant TV, multiple video game systems, pool table and air hockey table. To my surprise they were most than willing to share their space. We spent quite a few evenings racing each other on Mario Kart or playing Guitar Hero or Rockband. Maybe Kyla and her husband had laid down some rules with the boys but I hoped they enjoyed my company.

Health wise I guess I was lucky I seemed to be a quick healer but for me it wasn't fast enough. Obviously I had to do physical therapy since I had bullets that nicked both my lungs and my heart. I had all sorts of breathing and endurance crap I had to do to prove that I was healing properly.

Three times a week I had to go to the hospital and work with a specialist who I'm sure dreaded my appointments, because as I've said I'm a horrible patient. He's always fakely happy to see me but I'm pretty sure he hates me. Then there's the exercises I have to do at home. Everyone seemed eager to help me until they remembered what a moody bitch I can be. I'm guessing after everyone in my family tried to help me, they got together and figured Sebastian was the key to helping me get better as well as ensuring their own safety. My son was extremely motivating vocally and just by being there. I know he idolizes me so I don't want him to see me as weak. He thinks his mommy is the strongest woman in the world so who am I to disappoint my son.

Three months after the shooting we moved into our new house on 68th street. It was similar to the old house in that the upstairs and downstairs were separate units but at the same time it was very different. It definitely signified a fresh start for all three of us.

It only took about a week for us to get settled in our new digs. I really should be happy about everything but for some reason I was feeling very down.

The family killer case had done something I didn't think was possible, it made me feel weak and useless. I hadn't put the pieces of the case together fast enough and it nearly cost me everything.

Since I was sworn in as a police officer in the city of Milwaukee I have taken pride in being a level headed, good cop. Since I became a detective in homicide, I've worked my ass off to be good at my job. My arrest record with Hayley speaks for itself, we are the best in homicide. Yet when it came to a case that eventually threatened Aiden and Sebastian's well being I was clueless until it was almost too late. What kind of cop can't protect their own family?

Logically I know feeling sorry for myself isn't conducive to my recovery but I can't seem to get past the feelings. I am on medical leave for god knows how long so I don't have cases to distract my mind. Daytime TV is depressingly boring so that offers very little distraction either.

Everything about the confrontation with the psycho bitch made me feel depressed. Our pets reacted more than I did. Cain and Zebbie lunged at Sasha and latched onto her yet I just kept thinking and never acted against her. Hell even Spencer acted more than I did. She managed to shoot the crazy bitch. I also know she shot me too but that's beside the point. The shots she hit me with were not fatal. The lung and heart nicks came from Sasha's gun. But when it came down to protecting my family I was all thought and no action, that was unacceptable. It made me think I was no good to anyone I actually cared about which scared the hell out of me.

This particular night I was on animal watch. Aiden and Sebastian had gone to Aiden's parents house for dinner so on top of Cain and her kittens I had Zebbie too. I stood on my balcony with the animals locked inside. I tried not to look back at the animals as I had my backup glock in my hand but Zebbie would not stop whining. As I held the gun in my right hand to my head I grabbed my cell phone in my left hand. I had a choice to make, use my right hand or my left hand. It should have been a simple decision but the way I was feeling nothing was simple. I took a few deep breaths then decided which hand to choose.

Within minutes Kyla was on the balcony with me, Zebbie took the opportunity to come out and sit at my feet.

I just stood there, my back to Kyla, with the gun still in my right hand and the phone in my left.

"What's going on sis?" Kyla asked, the fear was evident in her voice.

I sighed and looked down at my hands, "I just feel so…" I shook my head not knowing what to say.

I could feel Kyla coming closer. I didn't fight her when she grabbed my right arm and grabbed the gun out of my hand. I heard her click the safety back on and whisper, "Jesus Ash."

Then I crumbled into a chair and started sobbing. I hate letting people see me cry but I couldn't help myself.

Kyla sat next to me with her arm around me and just waited it out. She murmured a few words here and there but didn't try to start any conversation until I had cried myself out.

Eventually I had calmed down enough to speak. "Thanks Ky!"

"That's what sisters are for." She answered with a weak smile. "Now are you gonna tell me why the hell you were doing out here with a gun cocked and ready to fire?"

"I just feel so helpless. I couldn't protect my own home from getting invaded by a crazy murderer. What good am I? And I didn't even stop her when I was face to face with her." I rambled.

"So obviously the way to deal with all that is to blow your brains out in your new house so we all have only a bloody memory of this place too?" Kyla replied sarcastically.

At first I was stunned by what my sister said but then I smirked, "Well I guess when you put it that way."

"That's what I thought." Kyla said with a nod then added, "You know dad would kill you if you shot yourself here after everything he put into this house."

"Ky, I'm good with a gun. I wouldn't have missed my mark."

"True but dad would find a way to kill you again, no doubt!" Kyla said with a laugh. "Now let's go inside and put this silliness behind us."

"Okay." I agreed and saw my sister was already busy on her phone. "What are you doing?"

"Calling in reinforcements." Kyla answered.

Within a half an hour Kyla's reinforcements came in the form of our little crew complete with pizza and beer.

My partner Hayley was the first to arrive carrying a case of MGD. "Hey ladies, where do you want this?" she said with a smile.

Kyla spoke first, "That will fit in the fridge since Ashley doesn't believe in keeping food handy apparently."

Since Kyla was messing around in the kitchen after Hayley put the beer in the fridge she came and sat by me on the couch. She put her arm around me and we sat in silence for a while.

I wasn't sure if Kyla had told Hayley exactly why she was coming over. Finally I decided to test the water and break the silence, "Thanks for coming over partner."

"No problem." She said with a smile. "I'm always up for a relaxing night of drinking and movies."

I figured Kyla hadn't told her based on her response. I half smiled and said, "Me too I guess."

Hayley gave me a hard stare then said, "But next time lets start a night like this without the loaded gun in your hand, okay partner?"

"So she did tell you?" I asked, not able to look her in the eye.

"Yeah." She said then remained quiet for a few moments before she spoke again. "It can happen to the best of us partner."

This comment surprised me a bit and turned to look at my partner. Obviously she read the question across my face because Hayley sighed then began to speak.

"Things started to fall apart for me about a week before Bash was born. I had a tough few days. A few nasty calls I couldn't do anything about then I found out a couple informants I used got roughed up pretty bad, one didn't survive. It just seemed like everything that could go wrong did."

I couldn't remember this chain of events. Obviously I had already been on my maternity leave so I wasn't involved.

She again read my facial expression and said, "You were about to have a baby hun, I didn't want to unload on you at the time. So I chose the stupid route, drown my sorrows alone."

Hayley paused so I took the opportunity to lighten the mood a little, "So you brought me a case of beer?"

Hayley smirked, "Good point except you're not by yourself. And besides your sister has probably hidden your gun by now."

"Ky, if that's what you're doing put it in the stove. I haven't opened it since I moved in." I called out laughing.

"No kidding." Kyla called back. "The instruction booklet was still in it."

All three of us were laughing when my door opened again. Madison called out over us, "Food's here."

I turned to the door and saw the final two members of our group: Madison Duarte and Spencer Carlin.

Spencer smiled and added, "We've got movies too."

Hayley and I went to the kitchen to help Kyla. She told us quietly that she hadn't told Madison or Spencer about my freak out. I decided I'd tell them eventually but for now I was looking forward to a lighthearted night.

As I sat in the living room and looked around at the four women laughing, drinking and eating pizza I knew this was exactly what I needed. Though two of them did not realize just how desperate I felt just an hour earlier their personalities helped lift my spirits.

After Hayley finished a story about an amusing case her and Jameson had just closed I decided to join the conversation, "So how's your little boy doing Madison?"

"Oh have I got a story about him." Madison started with a laugh. "So we were shopping at Target the other day and were looking for a birthday card for Glen. He picks up a random card, opens it and it starts vibrating. I'm a few sections down and he runs over to me yelling 'Look mommy boobies, there's boobies in this card'."

All five of us busted out laughing. Kyla was the first of us to be able to speak, "Ahh he's at the toddler Tourette's stage."

"Yeah, basically." Madison said while still laughing.

"So how did you respond?" Hayley asked.

"I just asked if that's the card he wanted to get daddy." Madison said with a shrug. "He said, 'yeah daddy likes boobies' so we bought it."

That sent all of us into another fit of laughter which I enhanced by saying, "Honestly who doesn't?"

After another hour of random stories and catching up I decided to get some air and went out onto the balcony. I was still wrestling with the idea of telling Madison and Spencer about earlier, I just needed space to think. After a few minutes I heard the door open. When I turned I expected to see Kyla or Hayley but instead it was Spencer.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey Ash," Spencer replied.

Unfortunately this felt a little awkward. It stemmed from our dinner date a few weeks after I got out of the hospital. I had high hopes for our first date but it was just an uncomfortable disaster. Conversation was choppy and forced which was the opposite of any other time we had been together since we met. We'd exchanged a few texts since but this was the first time we'd seen each other.

"So, how's work going?" I asked in an attempt to make small talk, it seemed appropriate.

"Honestly, it's frustrating as hell." Spencer replied with a sigh.

"Why's that?" I asked when she didn't offer anything further.

Spencer immediately replied, "This case against Sasha Miller is a career maker and I can't go anywhere near it except as a witness. I'm getting stuck with all the bull shit cases while seemingly everyone else is on the big one."

I let a few moments of silence pass before I responded. "Well at least you're still working. Plus I'm thankful for your role is this case even though you can't actually work the case from a legal standpoint."

Spencer blushed, "I'm sorry Ash. I didn't mean…"

She let that phrase hang so I decided to switch subjects, "So on a different note, thank you for the Hunger Games books. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the books."

That brought a smile to Spencer's face. "I'm glad you liked them. I wasn't sure if you would."

"I'll admit the concept is a little disturbing but they are well written."

Spencer smiled, "Madison couldn't get past the disturbing concept. I wasn't sure if it was a mom thing or a Madison thing."

"Could be a little of both." I said with a smile. "Though if I had a daughter I'd want her to be as loyal and bad ass as Katniss."

Spencer smiled and said, "Maybe we could go see the first movie, I know it's still in theaters."

"Yeah maybe." I replied. I wasn't really sure where this conversation was going but it felt Spencer needed to lead.

We remained in silence for a few minutes before Spencer spoke again. "Ashley I'm sorry. Given everything that went down I rushed into our first date. I hadn't really processed everything that happened in your basement and that carried over to dinner."

I nodded, "The night was awkward."

Spencer nodded but said nothing. The anticipation was killing me. Finally she said, "I really would like to try again. You seem to invade my thoughts frequently Ms. Davies."

"Probably doesn't help my name is attached to the big case in the DA's office." I replied then immediately regretted the comment.

"That has nothing to do with it." Spencer replied defensively. "I've felt a connection since we met."

My thoughts ran wild for a bit. I had no idea how to respond.

Spencer spoke up again, "So what would you say to dinner and a movie tomorrow night?"

I smiled and replied, "I'd love to."

Thankfully this day, which had taken a dramatically bad turn, was seemingly ending positively.


	3. Chapter 3

The most frustrating part in my recovery is the time frame my doctor has given me. He said that soon, maybe within the week he would clear me for desk duty. Three months after being shot and all I get is desk duty? How useless is that? Physically I was feeling almost 100% yet he wouldn't release me to full duty. Again I say how useless is that?

He actually told me in another couple months he would re-evaluate my recovery and decide if I was ready to be back to regular duty. I'm honestly surprised I didn't punch him when he told me his diagnosis.

Another source of frustration at the moment was Spencer. Our conversation on the balcony was progress, I thought, but the next day she texted me saying we'd have to reschedule the dinner and a movie. Then she called a few weeks later and that phone conversation didn't go the way I thought it would.

I actually answered my phone because it was Spencer, "Hey lady, how goes it?"

"Busy as always. How's the grumpy patient doing?" Spencer said lightheartedly, I still hadn't told her about the gun incident.

"Hanging in there." I answered with a sigh. "Doc says he'll probably clear me for desk duty by the end of the week."

"That's great Ash!" Spencer replied excitedly then asked, "When are you going to see the department's psychiatrist for your final evaluation?"

I found the question odd but figured I'd answer anyways, "Monday morning if I'm cleared by my doc to come back."

"That's great news. Keep me posted on your progress, then I can pass the word along."

"Okay, but I thought you couldn't work the case?" I asked.

"Well no, not technically. But I can pass along information. Once the psychiatrist says it's okay then can get your official statement. I know they'd like to take care of that as soon as possible." Spencer said sounding very official.

"Makes sense." I said not really knowing what else to say.

"Kelly, one of the girls on the case, told me they have Aiden and Sebastian's statements already. But since you're a city employee there's a bit more red tape to deal with." Spencer offered.

This surprised me, "Wait, someone took a statement from my son?"

Spencer spoke tentatively, "Well he was a victim Ash. Who knows if they'll actually include him in the trial or not but it can't hurt to have his statement. Plus from what Kelly said he wanted to help."

"Well of course he wants to help but he's just a baby." Ashley replied emotionally.

"Ash, he's six years old and he definitely knows right from wrong, the difference between the truth and a lie and all that other stuff we lawyers ask kids. I know first hand you are an amazing mother who has taught he well." Spencer said sympathetically.

I didn't know what to say. Spencer was paying me a huge compliment but I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that my son was only six years old and he'd already given an official statement in a homicide investigation. It was too much.

"Are you still there Ash?"

I shook my head and answered, "Yeah, I'm here. Just processing what you've said that's all."

"I can totally understand if you don't want Bash involved but unfortunately he was there." Spencer said, the sympathy was obvious in her voice.

"Don't I know it!" I said with a sigh. "I was just caught off guard. I guess that red tape really keeps me out of the loop, plus my medical condition I guess."

"I really am sorry Ash but it's totally out of my hands."

"I know Spence."

Silence hung between us for a few moments before Spencer spoke again, "Well I should get back to work. I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing."

"Thanks for checking in Spencer."

"I'll check in again soon. Bye Ash."

"Bye Spence."

That was it. The call was part official business, kind of, and maybe part genuine concern. There was no mention of rescheduling the cancelled date, it was mostly talk about the case she wasn't working. Obviously I was disappointed but what did I expect? Spencer was a lawyer. Even if she wasn't on the case, she still had ties to it. Plus with most of the resources of the DA office invested in the Sasha Miller case Spencer was bound to be swamped with other cases. How could I expect her to take time to consider a possible relationship? I knew I couldn't but that didn't make the situation any easier. I couldn't deny that I liked Spencer but how do you start a relationship under these kind of circumstances?

Thursday's check up with the doctor went well and he cleared me for light desk duty. I knew this would happen but I still laughed and commented.

"Are you serious?" I said after reading the waiver form he handed me.

"It is what we discussed Ashley. I want you to take baby steps, it's a process. You were within millimeters of being D.O.A." He explained calmly. "We can't risk rushing anything with your recovery no matter what you think."

"I understand Doc, but light desk duty? Are there actually different levels of desk duty?"

"Honestly I'm not sure but I want to make it perfectly clear that you are not to strain yourself in any way, shape or form." He stated.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about Doc. The only difference between being home and desk duty is the entertainment value. Instead of reading books or watching TV while sitting on my ass I'll be doing boring paperwork while sitting on my ass. And with these restrictions you gave me I'll have to have someone else lift the files when I'm done with them." I said with a slight laugh.

"On the flip side at least you'll be one step closer to having your normal life back." the doctor replied happily.

"Yeah, one baby step closer." I said sarcastically with a shrug then left his office.

Aiden and Sebastian surprised me that night with a big family dinner. My parents, Kyla and her family along with Hayley and her new girlfriend Cory were in attendance. We spent the night eating, drinking and laughing a lot which was nice.

That night Bash stayed with me so we could spend time together though I think he was going through kitten withdrawal, he hadn't seen them all week. Plus I could tell Sebastian was nervous about me going back to work, even in a limited capacity. He would never say anything but I know he also wanted to keep an eye on me as much as he possibly could. No matter what my son's motives were for spending the night with me, I enjoyed having him with me. This coming weekend was special for us so this was the perfect start.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading this story. Please keep the reviews coming, I love hearing your thoughts on this story so far! Enjoy!**

Milwaukee, Wisconsin is definitely a city which enjoys festivals. Throughout the spring and summer months nearly every weekend has some type of celebration. There are ethnic festivals, music festivals, beer festivals, church festivals and towards the end of the summer State Fair. Of course all these festivities has mass amounts f alcohol readily available for the patrons to consume. The city is the home of Miller Brewing Company, so why not find any and every reason for a celebration.

During the busy festival season millions of people head out to various locations in the greater Milwaukee area to enjoy the food, beverages and entertainment. Then for those who want to continue the festivities for a couple hours after the festival sites shut down for the night there are hundreds of bars to choose from.

Most people go to these events to have fun with friends or family and to relax. A majority of events have visible security or a police presence so most people feel relatively safe and generally they were but there's always exceptions. Little did the citizens of the greater Milwaukee area know, the festival season of 2013 would bring with it one of the most prolific and elusive criminals in the United States.

Under normal circumstances I rarely take time off of work voluntarily. One of the few exceptions was one weekend in June. Normally I would have an unsolved case or two on my mind while trying to enjoy the weekend but since I had been on medical leave that wasn't the case this year. I could mostly focus on having fun. Though I had to admit in the back of my mind I was slightly anxious about going back to work on Monday, even if it was just light desk duty.

The first festival of the season at Meier Festival Park was always Pridefest and I had been going since I was a teenager. When I was younger my friends and I would go because we could always find people to buy us beer or share their weed. When Aiden and I were a couple we still went because it is one of the more entertaining festivals to attend. Of course probably on some level I always knew I belonged, that I was gay. The last few years I've brought my son with me on Saturday and Sunday. Friday night I go with friends for fun and drinking but the other two days of the weekend were for Bash and I.

Although I've been single a few times I never set out to find a woman at Pridefest, too many drunk desperate women. That was especially true when Sebastian was with me, that little boy tended to be a woman magnet. I always seemed to find myself politely declining date offers and accumulating numbers I'd never use. And since things were so up in the air with Spencer the possible attention was the only thing I wasn't looking forward to.

I had fun with Hayley, Cory and other friends on Friday night but I was really excited to bring my son. Sebastian loved listening to live music, people watching and eating Saz's food so when we entered the park we headed straight for the Miller Lite Oasis.

Sebastian walked right up to the order window and said, "Can I have a sampler platter and an order of mozzarella marinara please?" then he turned to me and asked, "Can I have a soda mommy?"

"Of course," I said as I pulled my wallet out of my pocket.

"Can I have a Sierra Mist too please?" he said to the woman behind the register.

"Sure sweetheart." she replied with a smile. I could tell she found my polite little man adorable.

After I paid for our food we gathered up our plates and Sebastian's soda and walked over to a beer booth so I could grab an MGD. I said before Friday night is for drinking, I should clarify. Friday night was for heavy drinking if I want to, with Bash I drank in moderation. Anyways we found a picnic table with a good view of the stage and the people walking around on the other side of the beer stands. Before we dug into our food we both looked at the spread in front of us: sour cream and chive fries, cheese curds and the best mozzarella sticks in the world. Sebastian and I smiled at each other then dug into our tasty lunch. A minute later a woman approached us.

"Can I sit here?" she asked pointing to the empty bench across from us.

I silently sighed figuring she would be another woman drawn to me because of Sebastian. My son quickly smiled and said, "Sure!" He was such a little social butterfly, he loved meeting new people.

The woman must have sensed my apprehension because she explained, "I'm up here from Chicago and I was supposed to meet my friends who came up yesterday but they aren't answering their phones. I'm just looking for people who don't seem pervy, creepy or scary possibly sit by until my friends show up."

Sebastian laughed and said, "Well I'm just a seven year old kid and my mommy's a detective with the Milwaukee PD so I'd guess we're pretty safe."

His comments made the woman laugh so I spoke up, "Please have a seat. I'm Ashley and this is my son Sebastian."

The woman nodded her head with a smile and sat down with her own lunch. "My name is Charlie. So what kind of detective are you Ashley?"

I actually hated admitting my job to strangers. Most people found it depressing or had a morbid fascination. "I'm a homicide detective."

Charlie got a strange look on her face then tentatively asked, "You're not Ashley Davies, are you?"

"One in the same." I replied just as tentatively. I knew she recognized my name at least from the national media coverage of the case but I hoped she wouldn't mention Sasha Miller. I hated talking about it around Sebastian given what he had gone through. He had lost his best friend and been held captive by the crazy bitch, both events were well known in the press.

Charlie seemed to sense my feelings and replied, "I've heard a lot of good things about you." Then she turned to Sebastian and said, "So what do you do little man?"

My son laughed and replied, "I go to school, I'm too young for a real job."

"Going to school is a job, a very important one at that." Charlie commented then asked, "Do you play any sports?"

Sebastian nodded, "Baseball and soccer. I might start playing basketball too."

"Now you're speaking my language." Charlie laughed. "I like baseball and soccer but I love basketball. I'm actually an athletic trainer for the Chicago Sky."

Sebastian's eyes lit up, "Do you know Elena Della Donne and Courtney Vandersloot?"

I saw the surprised look on Charlie's face so I chimed in, "We watch a lot of basketball together and I find women's basketball more fundamentally impressive than the men's game. If Bash wants to play basketball I want him to realize there's more to the game than dunking the ball."

Charlie nodded appreciatively then said, "Yes I know them both. IF you guys can make id down for a game I can introduce you to them and the rest of the team."

Sebastian's eyes got huge, "That would be awesome. Can we mommy?"

I smiled and said, "We can try but remember I go back to work Monday so we'll see how things go."

"Okay mommy." He nodded then said to Charlie, "My mommy catches bad people to keep Milwaukee safe but it keeps her really busy sometimes."

I could hear the sadness in his voice and it killed me. Though I would only be on desk duty I didn't know if I would have a set schedule or not do I didn't want to promise him anything. Plus he didn't really understand the whole desk duty thing, he just knows I'm going back to work and that means less mommy and Bash time.

Charlie chimed in, "Well I'm glad she does what she does. I have tremendous respect for those people who catch the bad guys so we can be safe at places like this."

"Me too." Sebastian agreed with a huge smile. "You can definitely hang out with us until your friends show up."

"Just to warn you it might be a while. As I said my friends got her yesterday and were here last night, then at some bars til close. They are probably sleeping off hangovers. I don't want to impose on your time with your mom."

"It's okay, I like you." Sebastian replied smiling.

Charlie smiled too. "Well thank you, I like you too little man."

"And if you want you can call me Bash. It's short for Sebastian." my son offered.

"Okay Bash. Charlie is actually short for Charlene, not much shorter but at least a little." she answered with a laugh.

I couldn't help but smile at my son. After everything that had happened in the last few months he was still so welcoming of a stranger. Sometimes I wish I could be more like him.

"Are you okay with me hanging around Ashley?" Charlie asked. I could see a sense of concern in her eyes.

I smiled, "It's fine by me. He likes to listen to music and people watch so we may not move from this spot for hours."

Sebastian looked concerned and asked, "Is there something else you want to do mommy?"

I smiled warmly at my son. "No sweetie. I just wanted to let Charlie know what our plan was. I want to do what you want to do little man."

Sebastian smiled and leaned up against me, "Okay mommy. Just checking."


	5. Chapter 5

Sebastian, Charlie and I spent the afternoon chatting and enjoying the various performers, mostly singers and drag queens. We ventured away from the Miller stage for a while but eventually returned because Sebastian liked it best.

Between performers Sebastian turned to me and asked, "Can I switch to my beer mommy?"

I nodded, handed him some money and pointed toward a vendor booth.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the surprised look on Charlie's face before she asked, "His beer?"

I laughed and replied, "Root beer. It's a treat he only allows himself at festivals or if there is vanilla ice cream involved."

"That makes sense." Charlie laughed. "So do you watch his soda in take?"

I shrugged, "Don't really have to."

"Really? All the kids I know either drink too much or crave it constantly."

"My son is an oddly disciplined kid. He chooses to drink only white soda, one or maybe two a day unless it's a special occasion like a party or festival."

"Wow, I'm impressed. My habits lean towards mostly healthy but I still drink at least three or four Mountain Dew's a day. Where does his restraint come from?"

"I wish I knew." I replied laughing. His father and I are both caffeine fiends, him more soda and me coffee mostly."

Charlie frowned slightly, "Oh, you're married?"

I tried not to roll my eyes. I liked Charlie but just as a friend and her question partnered with her frown implied she hoped there was a chance of more. Either way I had to be truthful. "No, but it's complicated. Actually it seems like a lot of things with me lately seems complicated."

"Oh I didn't mean…"

I cut her off before she could explain, "I just didn't want you to get the wrong impression. I have way too many unresolved issues with a particular woman to think of anyone else."

"So you are gay?"

"Yes but…"

"Okay, just wanted to make sure." Charlie interrupted with a smile. "I didn't think my gaydar was that far off. And for arguments sake I am not hitting on you, even though you are pretty attractive."

I wasn't sure how to reply but luckily Sebastian came back with his bottle of Sprecher Root Beer and said, "So what are we doing about dinner cause I'm kinda hungry."

Charlie and I both smiled at Sebastian then began discussing dinner possibilities. Suddenly Charlie's phone rang. She looked at the text and said, "One of my friends just texted. They're finally on their way over here."

"So you aren't gonna have dinner with us?" Sebastian asked, a hint of sadness in his voice which tore at my heart as usual.

Charlie smiled at my son, affected by his tone too, "It'll probably take them at least a half an hour to get here but likely longer. We have plenty of time for dinner. Plus if you guys are hanging around for a while you are more than welcome to hang out with us."

An hour later Charlie's friends turned up and were immediately welcoming of Sebastian and I. I for one was thankful because Sebastian seemed to be having fun but if things didn't go his way he could throw one hell of a temper tantrum.

The nights headline was the Indigo Girls. They weren't one of my favorite groups but Sebastian was having a blast so I refrained from suggesting leaving. I had to admit they put on a decent show. But once they finished their set I insisted we go home. I was getting tired and I could tell my son would be falling asleep soon. We made plans to meet up with Charlie and her friends at the parade on Sunday then headed for the car.

"I'm way too excited to sleep mommy, just so you know." Sebastian said, bouncing around as we made our way to the car.

"Okay Bash. Let's see how you feel when we get home." I replied with a smile but as I figured, Sebastian was asleep after a couple minutes of the car moving.

As planned we met up with the girls from Chicago outside a bar called The Pint to watch the pride parade. After it was done we took one of the free shuttles over to the festival grounds.

We spent the rest of the day sampling food, taking in the various types of entertainment and doing a bit of shopping. Kyla and her family met up with us as well as Hayley and Cory, Madison with her son and boyfriend Glen, and even Aiden. Sebastian was thrilled to be surrounded by family and friends, both old and new. I was happy too but I definitely felt the absence of Spencer.

I hadn't realized I was so lost in my own thoughts until I felt Sebastian pulling at my arm, "What little man?"

"Charlie's friend Katie asked you a question mommy." Sebastian whispered.

I looked up and saw everyone was looking at me. "I'm sorry I zoned out. What did you say?"

Katie smiled and said, "We were talking about or jobs and they said you were a homicide detective. Then it finally hit me why your name sounded familiar and you looked familiar when we met last night. You're the one who faced off against the family killer, aren't you?"

I nodded and before I could speak someone chimed in, "That's pretty damn impressive! I was addicted to the coverage of that story on CNN, it was just so unthinkable what that woman did."

I could see Katie looking at Sebastian and Aiden before she said, "That means you guys were…"

I quickly cut her off harshly, "We don't like to talk about that with all due respect."

Charlie spoke up, "I didn't say anything because you didn't seem to want to talk about it yesterday but I'm extremely appreciative that you two were so welcoming. I can't imagine trusting strangers after what you guys have been through."

I was speechless but Sebastian spoke up. "It was a freaky time but not everyone's bad. We can't live scared of everyone."

"Well said little man." Aiden said with a proud smile.

"I agree." I smiled proudly as well at my son. Then I turned back to the Chicago girls. "But in all honesty can we talk about something else. Like maybe how and when Charlie is gonna get us tickets to a Sky game?"

Charlie smiled, "Of course. Let me give you my information. Whenever you guys want to come down just let me know when and how many. I'll get tickets and see what I can do about a place to stay."

After Sebastian was tucked into bed Aiden and I went outside with beers in hand.

"Thanks for coming to Pride today. I know Sebastian was thrilled." I said once we sat down at the patio table.

Aiden smiled, "I had fun and I'm all for having fun with my family. Give us all as many happy memories as possible."

I smiled back and nodded, "I agree."

We were silent for a few moments then Aiden joked, "So I think you definitely have a few admirers heading back to Chicago tonight."

I tried to scowl at him and replied, "Oh shut up you!"

"What? A couple of them were hot. Katie was definitely into you. Charlie too and she seems eager to set up a visit."

"Whatever. They all live in Chicago and…" I paused.

Aiden finished my sentence, "They're not Spencer Carlin, right?"

I had to laugh, "So I'm that transparent, huh?"

Aiden shrugged. "I know you Ash, it's not hard to figure out. But she hasn't been around much from what I've seen. Honestly the last time I saw her was when you were still in the hospital."

"I've seen her once since then, talked on the phone once and exchanged a few texts." I answered with a sigh.

"Oh." was all he said in response.

We sat in silence again for a while. I let my thoughts wander. I thought about Spencer and our issues. Then there was the new house. It was great but it hadn't made me forget about what had happened on this property. Honestly with everything that had happened over the last several months my life really felt like a mess.

"Ash?" Aiden said, touching my shoulder.

"What?" I responded.

"I asked, are you sure you're ready to go back to work tomorrow?"

I nodded, "I need to get back to some semblance of normalcy, even in a limited capacity."

"I get that." Aiden replied quietly.

I looked at him and sensed some hesitation from him. "Are you ready for me to go back to work?"

It was Aiden's turn to sigh, "Yes and no." he admitted.

"What's on your mind Aiden?" I asked not hiding the concern in my voice.

"That whole Sasha thing really scared me. I know I was the reason she came here but…"

"You're wondering if the reason things got ugly was because I was the detective trying to track her down?" I offered.

"Kind of." Aiden answered with a shrug. "I know it's stupid to think like that. Hell it's a thought that my mom would have. You know, would we be better off if you weren't a cop."

"Do you believe that Aiden?" I asked cautiously.

Aiden shook his head, "No not at all. But that doesn't make what happened any less unsettling."

"Well you can't help those feelings Aiden, I get that." I replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "But we can't blame ourselves for the actions of one crazy bitch. Sasha would have found targets and victims no matter what. She is ill. If not us, it would have been someone else and she could still be free. At least now she is in police custody so she can't hurt anyone else."

"I guess you're right Ash." Aiden replied, obviously not sure what else to say.

I spoke up quickly, changing my approach. "Honestly Sebastian seems to be handling everything really well. As long as we stay strong and consistent he should be fine which is my main priority."

"How can you be so confident?" Aiden asked.

I shrugged, "All I know is I have to be strong for our little boy in there. If he sees us maintaining the norm then he will respond to that."

"But aren't you scared Ash?" Aiden asked.

"Of course I am, are you kidding me? I just know I have to remain strong for our son. And part of that is returning to my job, even if for now I can't lift more than five pounds." I said most confidently, with a little sarcasm at the end.

Aiden thought for a moment then nodded in agreement, "You're right Ash."

"Thank you, I love hearing that." I said with a laugh then continued. "Besides I've been keeping up on the local news, not the national news cause we both know I hate those shows, and there doesn't seem to be any unusual killings going on in the city, just the usual. Plus don't forget I'm on light desk duty, my biggest danger for the foreseeable future is getting a paper cut."

Aiden laughed and added, "Don't forget about getting poked by staples or back pain from sitting too much."

"Or developing wrist issues from the computer." I added also laughing. "Oh the fun I have to look forward to."

Little did I know what type of evil was already at work in the Milwaukee area.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews especially from ItsMeCharlee and GoMe. I love the encouragement and I also love hearing your thoughts on my choices. Thank you to everyone who is enjoying this story and enjoy the next chapter!**

"I know I need to be careful but there are so many temptations in this area." The Connoisseur thought.

He currently stood on the corner of National and 2nd st in Milwaukee. The foot traffic was unusually heavy for a Sunday night but it was Pridefest weekend so it was not unexpected given what he had learned the previous night. The crowd from Pridefest did not gravitate towards Water Street, the main drag of bars in downtown Milwaukee, like the crowds did from the few other festivals he had been to. This crowd moved to 2nd st where the majority of gay and lesbian bars were in the city.

From his vantage point the could scope out the lines of people waiting outside two of the busier establishments: La Cage, which was a popular dance club mostly for me though there were plenty of women in line too and across the street was a popular lesbian bar known as The Pint.

The Connoisseur wasn't concerned with what the women thought their sexual orientation was, he knew once he picked one from his chosen few the women would perform her given duties. He had kept an eye on his phone which tracked the device he had activated in his chosen woman's trinket all last night and today. She had been at the festival grounds until midnight last night then came her to 2nd st until bar close. He could have taken her then but he decided to take a risk and wait until tonight, and he wasn't disappointed. She had spent the day at the festival again but had left early to head to the bars. She had been to a couple and now she was in line at The Pint. He saw the woman who would make the perfect addition to his collection. She was tall with beautiful brown hair, mesmerizing green eyes and a pleasant personality, his type completely.

Monday morning seemed to come a bit too soon for my liking. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to get back to work but there were things I was dreading. The biggest of those being the looks I was likely to get. It was inevitable that my co-workers would be curious where I was physically as well as mentally and they would draw a lot from their first impression of me walking into work. I'd seen it before as a street cop when a fellow officer was shot in the line of duty and I know I was among those casting cautious glances upon their return wondering the same things. We all know we run the risk of getting shot but it rocks you when it happens to someone you know, especially someone in your own unit.

My second biggest concern was my psych evaluation. I was to report to the Captain at 8am then the psychiatrist at 9 am. I had no idea what I was supposed to say. It's not like I was only shot by Sasha, I was also shot by Spencer with my own gun. It was a pretty bizarre situation being shot by a woman you are romantically interested in who is also the ADA and reacted more to a crazy killer holding my family hostage than I did. How are you supposed to explain the feelings that go along with that one? Besides the fact that Spencer and I were so up in the air, I was afraid the psychiatrist would have a field day with my situation and decide I'm too crazy to return to work anytime soon.

But as I thought about it I had figured out my feelings on some elements of the situation but others were up in the air. I was pissed about getting shot but I wasn't angry with Spencer. I was pissed about my lack of action in the situation and again I couldn't be mad at Spencer for her action, she saved my family and I's lives. There were other things I was annoyed with Spencer for but that was a whole other story that I hoped would not come up in my evaluation.

I looked over at the clock and realized a half hour had passed as I sat thinking over my morning coffee. I needed to get my butt in gear, wouldn't want to be late on my first day of light desk duty. I quickly showered, got dressed and fed the cats before heading out the door with my new travel mug Sebastian had given me in honor of going back to work. Lucky for me traffic was light this morning so I made it downtown in about fifteen minutes. I actually sat in my car for another five minutes dreading walking into work. I think the only reason I moved was because someone knocked on my window. I jumped a little and looked up to see a smiling Hayley so I got out of the car.

"Hey partner, welcome back to the grind." she said a bit too enthusiastically.

I shook my head, "Well not partner again yet, I am on light desk duty for a while."

"That just means you get to type up my reports." Hayley joked.

The sad part was that's true in my current allowed position. Desk duty meant catching up on paperwork. "Oh joy, just what I always wanted to do."

"Besides whether we're working together or not you're still my partner. We've been through too much together over the years for me to consider you anything else." Hayley said with a smile.

"Thanks girl." I said returning the smile then joked, "Just don't let Cory hear you talk like that, she likes me but probably wouldn't so much if she heard that."

Hayley smiled, "See that's what I really like about Cory, she gets the relationship between you and I. She's not threatened by you but she understands getting along with you is important to me."

"Have I mentioned before keep a hold of this woman. She gets you, puts up with your shit and still wants to be with you then she is a saint." I replied.

"So you're a saint too?" Hayley said.

"Not in the same way." I said with a smile. "I didn't completely voluntarily get to know you, we were paired up at the academy. Cory on the other hand has gone into your relationship completely of her own free will which equals saint." I finished with a laugh.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this whole conversation partner. I feel like I should be mad but I'm just so happy you're back." Hayley said with a confused look on her face.

"I'd say go with the second feeling. You're much more pleasant to be around when you're happy." I said with a laugh. Before I knew it we were at the front door of the station. I took a deep breath before I opened the door.

As we entered the lobby Hayley said, "Look I know this sucks Ash but before you know it you'll be back to regular duty."

I just shrugged, "Can't be soon enough partner!"

As we walked across the lobby I could already feel the stares. Inside it made me very uncomfortable but I tried my damnedest to not let those feelings show. I waned to appear as strong and confident as I was before I was shot. As we made our way upstairs I had several people welcome me back and tell me that I was looking really good. This should have given me a boost but I couldn't help wondering what they were really thinking.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Jameson said when she saw me walk into the squad room.

"Yeah, yeah!" I responded, exaggerating my eye roll.

"It's good to have you back Ash." Jameson's partner Jones said sincerely.

"Even in a very limited capacity." I said sarcastically. When no one laughed I quickly said, "Thank you Jones but let's not make a big deal about it."

"Probably should have told your partner that Ash." Jameson chimed in.

"But I just walked in with Hayley." I responded.

Jameson smirked and pointed towards the break room. "She's been here for a while. She went to the lot looking for you"

I looked towards the break room with apprehension. I quickly realized my hopes for a quiet return to work were impossible. Inside the break room there was balloons, a banner and a cake very loudly announcing my return.

As I shook my head in disbelief a familiar voice rumbled behind me, "I thought about stopping Hayley but she showed up early for once so I figured it would be counterproductive to deter her." The Captain said with a laugh.

"Probably a good call on that one Capt though this is over the top. I can't remember the last time she put this much work into anything she wasn't paid for." I joked.

Little did I know, just as I started to speak Hayley walked into the room. She listened to my joke then said, "Gee thanks Ash, making me sound like a slacker in front of our boss no less."

The Captain laughed and joked good naturedly, "I already knew you were a bit of a slacker Williams, I didn't need Davies to remind me of that fact."

All three laughed because the Captains joke was untrue. Hayley was one of the best homicide detectives the MPD had. But it was obvious that the pairing of Hayley and Ashley had the best closure rate in the department.

"Well ladies even though I'd love to celebrate Davies coming back to us, I've got more pressing matters to discuss with Ashley in my office.

Once the door was closed I threw out a joke seeing that it was 8:15, "Sorry about the delay Capt. Traffic in the building this morning was unusually heavy."

"I bet." he said with a laugh. "Please sit."

I did as I was told and sat in a chair opposite him.

After a few moments of silence he spoke, "It's good to have you back Ash, even as limited as you are."

"Thanks Capt, I think I'm glad to be back."

He laughed and responded, "Yeah, no one looks forward to desk duty I know. But I am going to try to make it as interesting for you as I can."

This surprised me a little. "How so?"

"I'm glad you asked." He said with a smile and picked a file box off the floor and put it on his desk. "I know physically you are limited but you are one of the smartest cops I have ever had the pleasure to be around. In this box are some unsolved cases from the last few months. Most are homicides but there are a few missing persons cases too."

"Missing persons Capt?" I asked a bit confused.

The Captain shrugged, "I owe their Capt a favor. There's similarities in the MO's. They think it may be a serial situation."

"Okay," I said then asked. "So what am I supposed to do from a desk?"

"Just read over what's here and see what you think. Maybe you'll see something that was missed or maybe you'll have some fresh ideas." The Captain explained.

This version of desk duty definitely intrigued me but one question pooped into my head. "Won't the other detectives be pissed I'm going over their files? At least the homicide cases?"

"Already cleared it with everyone. I actually got a box full of files willingly donated by your peers. So you've got two boxes to get you started; one from missing persons and one from homicide."

"Wow!" I was shocked, typically detectives didn't like other detectives looking into their cases.

"Well Ash if you didn't realize it before, let me enlighten you. The other detectives respect you, they may or may not like you but the respect is there. They all agreed that you're good at solving cases so they jumped at the chance to keep you busy while on desk duty."

I felt a bit overwhelmed but was also curious, "So how does this work exactly? Obviously I can't go out and run down leads, unfortunately."

"Read and investigate what you can from here. If you want to re-interview anyone either get them to come in or type up questions you want answered and I'll send someone. Also if there's additional field info you want I'll get someone to do that too. I just want these cases solved, the homicide ones anyways, just see what you think about the missing persons ones."

"I'll do my best Capt." I said, "Though I'm pretty sure those boxes weigh more than I am cleared to lift."

He laughed, "That they are. I'll have Hayley carry them to your desk since she's so motivated today." Then he turned serious, "Now the question I'm sure you're tired of, how are you doing?"

I sighed, "As good as I can be. The healing process is way too slow for my taste but I gotta do what I gotta do right?"

The Captain nodded, "Right! Speaking of which, I should let you go so you can get to your evaluation."

"I suppose." I said with another sigh. "Thank you Capt, for everything."

He smiled, "You know we take care of our own Ash, now get out of here."

I smiled back and left his office. Though I was grateful for the actual work during my light desk duty days my thank you to the Captain was so much more. During the rebuild of my house he had spent much of his free time helping. He had actually designed the basement which was now a huge playroom for all three of us. He even convinced the crew to put in a hidden staircase from the basement to my apartment which thrilled Sebastian. The thought process behind the staircase was that it offered a hidden escape route or entry point if anything like the Sasha thing happened again. My dad told me the Capt wanted to make sure the basement was the complete opposite from before. He wanted it to be a fun place to make new positive memories that overshadowed the previous bad ones.


	7. Chapter 7

I felt a bit anxious waiting for my appointment. I was never a big fan of the unknown and in this situation I had no idea what to expect. Would it be as simple as talking about how I was doing since the shooting and the circumstances leading up to it? Could I convince this psychiatrist I was okay when I wasn't sure if I was okay?

I was about to get up and start pacing around when one of the doors opened. A woman who looked about my age walked out and said, "Miss Davies?"

I stood up and said, "That would be me."

"Come on in." She said with a smile. She closed the door behind me and went to a chair in the middle of the room. "My name is Doctor Jane Isles. Have a seat wherever you like, or you can stand if that makes you more comfortable." She finished and grabbed a note pad and pen off the table beside her chair.

I chose to sit on the sofa to the side of her chair. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I could hear her scribbling on the note pad as I looked around the room.

It was actually a pretty nice space. There were a couple comfy looking chairs in addition to the chair and sofa we were using as well as a couple end tables. There was a small bookcase filled with books, probably about psychiatry. By the door was her desk with a laptop and a few file folders on top and a filing cabinet behind.

Then it dawned on me, great now I'll have another file on me, just what I need. It's not that I'm a bad cop, quite the opposite, but I've had my share of run ins with people so there were a few disciplinary files on me floating around the department, I'm sure.

I finally looked at the doctor and found she was staring at me. "What?" I asked slightly defensively.

She smiled and said, "Just observing."

"Okay." I replied shortly. "So how does this work exactly?"

"Well usually it's a you talk, I listen and occasionally comment or question type thing."

"So what do you want me to talk about exactly?" I asked feeling annoyed, I didn't like her vagueness at all.

Jane thought for a moment then suggested, "Let's start with you son and his father. What kind of relationship do you have with each of them?"

This threw me a little, "What does that have to do with me doing my job?"

"I need to get an understanding of your life as a whole. It helps me determine if you can recover mentally from your injury." Jane responded plainly.

"Oh," I said with a shrug then decided to tackle Aiden first. "Aiden and I usually get along pretty well." I said figuring keeping things short and sweet was best.

"Really? I thought I read that he was trying to get sole custody of your son less than a year ago?" Jane asked.

I couldn't hide my surprise at her question. "You've done your homework, haven't you doc?"

"As I said, I find a complete picture of your life is the best way to determine your ability, mentally that is, to recover and get back to work."

I didn't expect to be talking about this but I decided to go with it. "He did but even he admits the decision was strongly influenced by his mother who, for the record, has hated me since we were kids."

"Fair enough," Jane nodded. "So you suggested he move in with you?"

I shrugged, "I have a duplex and my tenant had to move out. I moved upstairs and the boys live downstairs."

Jane scribbled a few notes then asked, "And that has worked well?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I think so. Aiden got out from under his mom's thumb and my son is under the same roof as me all the time. To me it's a win-win situation."

"And the nature of yours and Aiden's relationship now?" Jane prodded.

"We're becoming good friends again. We don't always agree about everything but we talk things out rather than jump into fighting like we used to." I said with a smile, we'd come a long way despite the stress Sasha Miller brought to our lives.

"And your son? What kind of relationship do you have with him?" Jane asked, moving the conversation along.

I wasn't sure exactly how to put our relationship or my feelings for Sebastian into words. I though about it for a bit then replied, "He's my world. Everything I do is for my son."

"Meaning?" Jane injected.

"I work hard to set a good example for him, especially because he seems to idolize me. He's more important to me than anyone!"

Jane scribbled again then asked, "Is he more important to you than yourself?"

I answered immediately, "Of course he is. Isn't that how most parents feel?"

"In the case of good parents in my opinion yes but I'm sure you've seen your share of bad parents in your line of work detective." Jane replied.

"Valid point." I sadly agreed.

She continued, "And for the record Ashley don't worry, from what I've read and what you've said I see no red flags when it comes to Aiden and Sebastian. It may not be a typical living situation but I think it works really well for you guys so enough said on that."

"Oh, okay." I said. It was unnerving me that I couldn't figure out the doctor's angle. I wasn't really sure what to say next so I chose to remain silent again. I couldn't gauge whether talking more or less would be a greater benefit in this situation.

Finally Jane asked another question, "So I'm gonna jump to a potentially difficult question. What was going through your mind when you saw Aiden and Sebastian restrained by Sasha in your basement?"

"Wow doc, you just go right for the throat don't you?"

Jane looked me in the eye and said, "Well we have to delve into that day at some point. Why not approach it from the angle of those you were trying to protect."

I nodded and said, "It makes sense I guess." I paused for a moment before continuing, "All I could think about was how to get that psycho bitch away from my son."

"Not Aiden?" Jane quickly asked.

I took a deep breath and admitted, "My main concern was Sebastian. I know I should have been concerned about both of them but I was mostly concerned for my son. He was just a defenseless six year old." I explained as I looked around the room again, I didn't want to meet the doctors gaze after that admission.

She scribbled some more before speaking again, "It's okay Ashley. As a mother I'd expect your thoughts to be towards protecting your son first and foremost."

I actually looked her in the eye and asked, "That doesn't make me a bad person? Or a bad cop?"

She shook her head, "Not in my opinion. In my eyes that makes you a dedicated mother. Whether you are involved with your child's father or not, a dedicated mothers first thought should be for their child. I know as a cop you want to protect everyone from injury in a situation like that but it says a lot about you that mentally you were a mom first and a cop second. That's not a bad thing at all."

"That's good to know." I replied. I waited for her next question but she surprised me yet again.

"Well Ashley our time is up. Does this time work for you next week?"

"Next week?" I asked in shock. I was hoping I would get cleared today.

"Yes there will be more sessions. Your doctor put you on desk duty for a while which is fine with me. We'll meet once a week during that time. My observations will be factored in with your medical doctors recommendations to determine if you can return to full duty." Jane informed me.

"Oh." I said sadly.

"I know Ashley, everyone hopes this is a one and done thing but it's not." Jane said.

"Then I guess I'll see you next week doc." I said with a shrug and left the room.

After my appointment I decided the best thing for me was to jump into the files the Captain had given me. I decided to start with the files from missing persons out of curiosity.

I was into the third case file when Hayley tapped me on the shoulder, "You had lunch yet?"

"No I was gonna grab something around one." I said without looking up.

"I figured," Hayley replied. "So since it's 1:30, do you wanna go get some lunch?"

My head jolted up and I looked at the big clock on the wall. "Holy crap, I thought it was noon at the latest."

Hayley laughed, "Not so much but it is your first day back so I'll let it slide. How about I take you out to lunch?"

We went to Buffalo Wild Wings, one of our favorite lunch spots.

After the waitress took our order Hayley asked, "So honestly, how's your first day back going?"

"Quiet." I said with a shrug. I really didn't want to talk about my evaluation so I didn't bring it up.

"Well you seemed to be pretty enthralled with those case files." Hayley commented.

I shrugged, "It's something to do. Better than sitting on my ass at home watching daytime TV."

Hayley laughed, "True but I hear there are people who enjoy that sort of thing."

I shook my head, "I can't see how people do. There are a few days when you can catch a good marathon on USA, TNT, or ION but for the most part TV sucks."

"Did you find anything interesting in the files you were reading?" Hayley asked.

"Not much yet." I admitted.

Hayley shrugged, "I'm sure you'll see something."

Our food came and we at in silence for a bit.

Hayley spoke up, "You know we had a meeting where Capt told us his idea for your desk duty. Honestly some of the guys practically threw cases at him. Everyone realized this is a good way to help you get back and hopefully get a few tricky cases closed."

"I appreciate that but I don't want to step on anyone's toes." I admitted even though I hadn't touched the box from homicide yet.

"Look some of the guys may be a little scared of you but they all have mad respect for you."

I had to laugh at that comment. "I guess that's a good thing?"

"I'd say yes, I think. Some of these guys would never dare come talk to you but they were more than willing to have their work scrutinized by you."

"Crazy," I said shaking my head. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to talk about the cases I had read about the missing women so I was happy when Hayley dropped the conversation and we settled into eating our lunches.


	8. Chapter 8

Many people acquire collections of particular items throughout their lifetimes. Common collectables are coins, stamps, spoons, shot glasses and any number of other trinkets. The reasons for suck collections varies; some people collect things to commemorate places they have been or major events in their lives and others collect items for potential future monetary value among many other reasons.

The Connoisseur felt he was a different type of collector, an original. He collected beautiful items for the sure pleasure of possessing the objects of his obsession.

He sat in front of his wall of monitors and observed his precious collection feeling proud that it was coming along nicely. He was only a third of then way to filling his collection to capacity but he knew there was tremendous potential in the Milwaukee area.

The Connoisseur had worked on collections in other cities such as New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans among others for many years. He felt his intelligence ensure he would evade capture. He always kept a low public profile, changed cities at least once a year as well as identity to avoid attention from unwanted people, namely the local authorities.

The down side of his cautious nature was that he had never completed any of his previous collections. Though he was extremely confident in his move to his current locale. The numerous festivals throughout the Milwaukee area would provide ample hunting grounds not to mention the various law enforcement agencies that may become involved: various county sheriffs and various city police departments because the festivals were all over. He knew from other cities that different jurisdictions didn't tend to share information on cases willingly. He figured this red tape and arrogance within the law enforcement community would buy himself time to accumulate his best collection to date.

Since a good number of festivals took place in Milwaukee county The Connoisseur purchased two acres of land in nearby Waukesha county in the city of New Berlin. He moved to his new home base in January and immediately began construction of his play area. With some help from some contacts he had acquired over the years his new haven was functional by the end of May. He now sat and watched the first third of his collection in their separate rooms. Seven beautiful women whose spirits were already starting to break, soon they would all do exactly what he requested or else.

After my lunch with Hayley I realized I should have been making notes on the cases I read so I reviewed the two I had already read then went through the third. I finished the third a little before five so I decided to head home a little early.

As I got out of my car at home I saw Aiden was at the grill. I walked up to him and said, "Smells good. Am I invited to dinner?"

"Absolutely," he said with a smile. "Go get changed. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Great," I said and went upstairs. I changed into comfy clothes, fed the cats and went back downstairs. Though I felt tired I definitely could use some time with the boys.

As I walked into Aiden's part of the house my son met me at the door with a hug. His inquisitive seven year old brain took over immediately, "Are you okay mommy?"

I nodded giving him a smile, "Yeah little man. I'm just tired that's all. I have to get used to my old schedule. I've been zoning out in front of my TV for too long. All the lounging around I did made going back to work tough even with me sitting at my desk all day."

Sebastian gave me a good hard look before he replied, "Okay, I guess that makes sense mommy."

Then he lead me to the feast in the kitchen. Aiden had grilled burgers and brats along with fries, baked beans, salad and homemade coleslaw. It was a perfect summer dinner, though it was a lot of food.

"So where's the army Aiden?" I asked with a laugh as he brought the last of the grilled food in.

Before he could answer there was a knock at the door and my sister walked in followed by her husband and their twin teenage boys. "We brought dessert." Kyla aid with a smile and a strawberry cheesecake in her hand.

I looked back at Aiden and joked, "Okay I didn't know my nephews were coming, do we have enough food?"

Dylan spoke up, "Come on aunt Ash, we don't eat that much."

I laughed and put my arm around both his and Tyler's shoulders, "Guys you're growing fourteen year old boys, you're supposed to have healthy appetites, so no worries."

After a couple hours of eating and chatting things grew quiet in the house. Kyla and her family headed back to their house across the alley and Sebastian went to bed.

As I walked back to the kitchen from Sebastian's room Aiden was at the fridge. He held up a bottle and asked, "Another?"

"Just one," I said. "It is a school night." I finished with a smirk.

"How was your first day of desk duty?" Aiden asked as we both sat at the table.

"Surprisingly promising actually." I had to admit.

"That's good, how so?"

I explained to Aiden what the Captain had arranged for me to do. I left out the missing persons part though because I wasn't sure how he would handle the possibility of a serial kidnapper.

"That's awesome Ash. Sounds way better than typing up reports and cataloging stuff like you thought you'd be doing." he replied.

"Definitely more interesting that's for sure."

"So, um, how did the evaluation go?" he tentatively asked.

I sighed, "Good but not over yet."

"Really?" he asked a bit surprised.

"Yeah apparently my appointments with the doc will last as long as my desk duty."

Aiden didn't say anything right away but he finally said, "Maybe that's a good thing."

"How could this be a good thing Aiden?" I said angrily. "It makes me look weak. Last thing I need right now is anyone questioning my mental toughness or stability."

"Ash, I'm not saying you're crazy or weak." Aiden quickly responded.

"Then what are you saying?" I asked, obviously annoyed.

Aiden took a deep breath before answering, "I just think talking about what happened over a few sessions may not be a bad idea."

He looked at me cautiously, no doubt expecting me to blow up. I could tell there was more he wanted to say so I stayed silent.

He continued, "The events of that day were intense and I know you're strong but no one is that strong that they'd be unaffected." He stayed silent for a couple moments then quietly added, "Kyla told me about what happened on the balcony a while ago."

The words were so quiet I almost missed them but it shocked me nonetheless. "She did?"

Aiden nodded, "She thought I should know."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"Ash, you were in a bad place and I get that. And even now I know you're not completely back to your normal self so maybe these sessions will help you get back completely." Aiden said encouragingly.

I had thought I was putting on a good show for everyone. I thought I had convinced people I was back to my normal self but I was obviously wrong. Aiden had seen through my front. Now I began to wonder who else was unconvinced by my act.

"Ash?" Aiden said quietly looking concerned.

"Sorry, I got lost in my own thoughts." I said with a smile then continued. ""Maybe you're right about these sessions."

"Really?" Aiden replied, very surprised.

"Well they can't hurt and I'm still on desk duty for awhile either way."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful feedback, keep the reviews coming. Today for my birthday I am giving you all a little present, two chapters in one day. Enjoy!**

Tuesday morning I jumped right back into the missing persons cases. I had three more to go through then I planned to review my notes on all six and see what I found.

By lunch time I had finished the last of the files. Six files may not sound like much but there was a lot to each one. Each file was actually a number of reports: victim profile, family and friend interviews, coworker interviews, neighbor interviews, forensic reports of residence and vehicle, investigators notes about the abduction among other random notes.

Since everybody was out working cases I decided to go grab lunch from the Subway down the street and eat at my desk. The trip took a bit longer than usual because I kept running into people who hadn't seen me yesterday. Forty five minutes later I was back at my desk about to unwrap my lunch when another file was literally dropped in front of me.

I looked up to see the Captain standing next to my desk, "Another one?"

"Appears that way. From over the weekend."

"It's a lot smaller than the others, are they sure it could be related?"

He sat down in Hayley's chair and said, "She's from out of state so they don't have a lot of the usual stuff yet."  
That surprised me, "That's different, why link her with the other six?"

He shrugged and got up, "Read and find out I guess."

I couldn't help but laugh as he walked back to his office. Of course he wouldn't make things easy for me since of course my instructions were to read the files and make observations so what did I expect.

I arranged my desk so I could eat and read at the same time. As I took the first bite of my sandwich I opened the file and nearly choked. All I needed to see was the picture and I knew the name. The woman who was abducted Sunday night was Charlie, the woman Bash and I befriended at Pride.

The only times of the day the Connoisseur found slightly tedious was meal times with such a young group. He hadn't had time to completely tame these seven women so he still had to feed them separately. Eventually they would be able to share meals but for now the women were not trustworthy.

Just like everything else with him there was a ritual to meal times. Since it was lunch time he prepared all seven trays at once: cold cut sandwiches, chips, fruit, juice and of course small doses of sedatives in each item. Once the trays were just perfectly arranged, complete with a fresh flower for each woman he put on his mask and delivered each tray. He always had to enter a room extremely alert because women were so unpredictable. He tried to make their accommodations as comfortable as possible but some women were hard to please.

As he made his visits to the first few members of his collection they were compliant and polite, just how he liked them to behave. These had been his first few acquisitions and they turned out to be quick learners. They understood the rules. Do as the Connoisseur says and you will remain unharmed.

During his visits with his newest woman was when he had to be most alert. He hadn't had the time to break their spirits yet. These woman would try manipulation, pleading and physical violence to steal their freedom from his world. He did admire their spirit but he knew they would break, they all did eventually one way or another.

The last lunch deliver would no doubt be his most challenging. Number 7 had only been here a little over a day so she still had all her fight. Yesterday she had attacked him at dinnertime so she had a restraint on one ankle chaining her to the wall. She could still reach the things in her room she'd need but she was kept three feet from the door.

As he opened the door he said happily, "It's lunchtime number 7."

The woman spat back, "My name is Charlie you asshole. It's not any harder to remember than a number."

He smirked though she couldn't see it through the mask. He put the tray on the table and said, "Eat up. I want you to keep your strength up number 7. I have big plans for you and me."

"You dumbass sicko I don't even like guys. I'm a lesbian!" She yelled as she knocked the tray to the floor.

The Connoisseur wasn't surprised by this, she'd done the same thing with the other four meals he had provided her with. He pulled a syringe and a taser out of his pockets. He shot her with the lowest level of the taser then injected her with a cocktail of sedatives. Once he settled her on the bed he cleaned up the mess and left the room. He'd dealt with headstrong women before so he was not worried. He'd wait her out till the end of the week. If she changed her tune then he'd work on collecting number 8. If not he would have to find a new number 7 and dispose of the headstrong bitch. Either way he would work on collecting more women.

I was furiously making notes when I heard a laugh behind me.

"And here I thought I was gonna be late for dinner." Hayley said as she walked around our desks and sat in her chair.

I looked up at the clock and said, "Shit we've got fifteen minutes to get to my house." I quickly gathered up the folders and notes from my desk and threw them in the box.

I went to pick up the box but Hayley stopped me, "If that's coming along I got it."

I rolled my eyes, "I can carry a box to my own car."

"True but you are on desk duty and have a limit on how much you can lift woman, don't fight me." Hayley said grabbing the box out of my hands.

I gave in, "Whatever, let's just get out of here. You know how the boys can be with dinner is delayed."

"Yeah they can be almost as cranky as you partner." Hayley said then started laughing.

I shot a quick glare in her direction then couldn't help but laugh too.

After dinner Hayley, Sebastian and I made our way up to my apartment. Before his bed time he wanted to give Hayley instructions on the kittens she was taking and to say good bye to the twins. He was pretty sad about them leaving until he remembered that he can go visit them whenever he wants cause he knew where Hayley lived.

After that little scene played out Hayley got comfy on my couch with a beer and said, "Alright Ash, what have you got?"

I put the first six files on the coffee table open to each woman's information page. "There are seven missing women in the last month or so and there are similarities in their abductions."

Hayley glanced at the files then said, "There's only six files here Ash."

"I'll get to that, just skim the info pages for right now."

Hayley shrugged and started skimming as instructed. She was doing what I had done at first, look at the important info: description, manner of abduction and when they were last seen.

As she looked at the last one she said, "How many bodies so far?"

"None so far." I replied.

"Anyone check the Milwaukee river? We know how drunk people on Water Street get that 'oohhh shiny' complex about the water." Hayley said.

To some people that statement may sound harsh but MPD and MFD had fished plenty of drunk people out of the Milwaukee river.

"They checked and no luck." I informed her. "Plus no all the abducted women were on Water Street."

"Okay," Hayley said then thought for a moment. "I see the similarities I guess but it's kinda crazy to think one person abducts seven women and what, keeps them somewhere? You'd think someone would question seven new women in the neighborhood."

"I agree it's crazy but I need to figure this out." I said and handed her the final file.  
Hayley opened it and started reading. It didn't take long before she looked up at me and said, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

I shook my head, "I wish!"

"Shit this is that girl from Pride." Hayley stated the obvious in disbelief.

"I know." I said as I sat next to her. "I need to figure out what happened to her. I need to know if it's because of me."  
"Ash, don't go there." Hayley said calmly then asked, "Did you know any of these other women?"

"Not that I can remember but that doesn't mean there's not something there." I replied.

"For now let's not think of you as a link dear. Let's see where everything takes us before we examine the possibility that a serial kidnapper is obsessed with you or something." Hayley said trying to show through words how ridiculous the idea was. "I'm here for you Ash. Whatever you need me to do just say the word partner."

"Thanks partner." Ashley said with a weak smile.

They talked about the cases for another hour before we were obviously too tired to continue.

"Let's resume tomorrow if the Capt is okay with this obviously." Hayley said then yawned again.

"Okay, sounds good." I replied then said, "Don't forget your new babies."

"Heaven forbid. Cory would send me right back here if I forgot. She's so excited." Hayley laughed.

"You did tell her their favorite toys are straws and bottle caps right?" I asked hoping that Hayley's girlfriend hadn't wasted money on toys.

"Yeah. Instead her and her brother built this cat tower thing for them. It's actually pretty cool." Hayley said. "You should stop by sometime soon and check it out. They'd probably come up with one for you too." she finished with another big yawn.

"I will not get home before you fall asleep!"


	10. Chapter 10

Spencer hadn't realized what time it was until her cell phone rang. The ring tone told her it was someone calling from her brothers house.

She quickly picked it up and instead of a normal greeting she said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I know I was supposed to be there now, I lost track of time. I was trying to make a dent in my damn case load."

The only response was a child giggling.

"Fu… Jordan?" Spencer said, thankful she stopped herself before she said another bad word to her five year old nephew.

"You said some bad words aunty Spence." Jordan stated then started laughing again.

She heard her brother ask for the phone in the background then came on the line, "Are you expanding my son's vocabulary sis?"

"No more than you bro. Besides you should fucking know better then to let Jordan call me when I'm running late." She said as she was trying to locate her purse and keys.

Glen laughed, "Very true. So how long till you get here sis?"

Luckily she found her purse and amazingly her car keys were inside. Lately Spencer had been so busy she felt like she'd forget her head if it wasn't attached. "About fifteen minutes. I'm walking out the door now."

Spencer had been working at home so she was much closer to her brothers than if she was at the office. She had spent so much time at her brothers house before the whole Sasha Miller thing that she could practically make the drive in her sleep. Of course she enjoyed time with her family but she also enjoyed his backyard. They had a pool and beyond that was a park complete with baseball diamond, soccer goals, sand volleyball court, basketball court and a huge jungle gym that Jordan loved. Since her and her brother were athletically competitive if she needed to relieve stress her brothers house was perfect.

As she walked into her brothers house one of her best stress relievers ran up to her. "Aunty Spence!" Jordan yelled as he ran up and jumped at her.

Spencer caught him mid leap and hugged her nephew, "How's it going sweetie?"

"Good! Daddy took me to work with him today!" He said with a huge smile.

"Did you win any cases for him?" Spencer asked.

Jordan looked confused for a moment then said, "I made pretty pictures. Mommy put them up on the fridge."  
"Well let's go see!" Spencer said still carrying her nephew.

When they got to the kitchen she put him down and he ran to the fridge pointing, "See aunty Spence. They're pretty right?" he asked.

She could tell he was nervously awaiting her appraisal of his work. "These are wonderful buddy. Just remember your poor old aunty Spence when you become a famous artist." She said as she ruffled his hair which was currently styled in a two in Mohawk.

"Hijo go get tu padre. Dinner is in five minutes." Madison said from behind us.

"Ok mommy." Jordan said before he took off.

Spencer laughed and said, "Shouldn't you stick to one language Madison?"

Madison shrugged, "What would be the fun in that? I like to keep Jordan on his toes."

"Well it's good to be reminded that you are just as difficult with your son as you are with the rest of us." Spencer replied with a smirk.

"I'm not being difficult, I'm educating my son." Madison explained but added with her own smirk, "Now you Carlin siblings, that's a whole other story."

"Maddy are you giving Spencer a hard time?" Glen said as he strolled into the kitchen smiling.

"Not yet, she hasn't even been here five minutes yet. I thought I'd be nice." Madison replied with a laugh.

Glen gave his sister a hug then said, "Why wait? We've barely seen her lately."

Spencer sighed, "I've been swamped at work. With practically everyone on the Sasha Miller case there's been three of us juggling all the other cases coming through the DA's office. I have no time for anything. I still have a basement full of boxes that need to be unpacked. I found the essentials and everything else has to wait."

"Girl that case could take years, I hope you plan on unpacking before that." Madison chimed in.

Spencer could only shrug in response.

Glen looked at his sister and laughed, "Well let's think about this, we know she has furniture cause it's all new. She has a coffee pot because we gave her a nice one as a housewarming present. I'm guessing she found her laptop, printer, cloths and probably stopped there."

"I thought you said dinner was nearly ready Madison?" Spencer said trying to change the subject. Her brothers observations reminded her how annoyingly well her brother knew her.

Madison spoke again but not about dinner, "I'm guessing she still has cloths in boxes. I'd bet anything that was boxed up is still in a box. In fact I'd guess she hasn't opened a single box cause everything you mentioned sweetie went over in cars, not the truck."

Spencer didn't want to talk about this so she went into the dining room where her nephew was smiling and patiently waiting at the table for dinner.

"You know aunty Spence, they told you dinner was earlier than it was gonna be." Jordan said when she sat next to him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, mommy aid you've been working too hard and forgot how to tell time."

Madison smiled at her son as she and Glen brought dishes of food to the table. "I also said aunty Spence might lose track of time but she would still make it in time for a good home cooked meal."

Spencer smiled, "Thanks Maddy. It smells great and I'm suddenly starving. I haven't eaten since breakfast, I think."

"Is your assistant on vacation?" Glen asked. "I thought she always made sure you ate."

"No her vacation was last month then again in November. But I've worked from home yesterday and today." Spencer answered as she filled her plate.

"So you haven't seen Ashley since she been back?" Madison asked since she knew homicide and the DA office were in the same building.

Spencer tried to play dumb, "Oh was that this week? I forgot." She shrugged then stupidly added, "I just needed some time away from the craziness of the office." She knew before she said it that it would sound like a feeble excuse but she couldn't stop herself.

Madison and Glen exchanged a knowing glance that Spencer missed but Jordan didn't.

He nudged Spencer and whispered, "You're in for it aunty Spence."

"What?" Spencer said looking from Jordan to Glen then Madison.

"You can't avoid that woman forever sis." Glen started. Before he could say more Spencer spoke up.

"I'm not avoiding anyone." Spencer insisted in the most convincing tone she could muster.

Jordan laughed as Spencer looked from Glen to Madison again.

"What's so funny little man?" Spencer asked hoping her nephew would change the subject. She was getting annoyed at how this visit was going or at least where this particular conversation was going.

"I don't even know what you guys are talking about but I didn't believe what you said." Jordan said with a smile. When he saw the look on Spencer's face his smile quickly faded. "Sorry aunty Spence."

"Spencer don't you make my son feel bad just because you Carlins suck at lying." Madison quickly spoke up.

"Hey!" Spencer and Glen said at the same time making Madison and Jordan but out laughing. When Madison caught her breath she said, 'I honestly hope Jordan inherits that trait."

Jordan got a serious look on his face, "But why would I want to lie mommy? Lying gets you into trouble and I'm a good boy!"

Madison smiled at her son, "You are a good boy sweetie. You just remember that lying gets you in trouble when you're a teenager."

Jordan smiled, nodded his head and resumed eating.

Glen smiled at his son then looked at his sister, "How long are you going to avoid her Spence?"

"I've seen her since she got out of the hospital." Spencer said defensively.

Madison spoke calmly, "Hun that was the five of us getting together. You and Ash need to get together and talk without an audience."

Spencer looked down at her plate, "I know but after everything that happened and what I did, what do I say?" Though she knew her actions had stopped Sasha she had also shot Ashley. She had also had one disastrous date then broke a second with the beautiful detective. The situation just felt way too complicated.

Everyone was quiet for a while. Obviously Madison and Glen had no answers so eating in silence seemed like the best option at the moment.

Jordan finally broke the silence with a question. "Are you guys talking about Ashley, the cop mommy and aunty Spence were helping?"

"Yes we are buddy." Glen answered.

Jordan looked confused and turned to Spencer, "You helped save her and her family right?"

Spencer nodded, "Yeah I did."

"You knew it could be dangerous but you helped anyways so you must like her right?" Jordan asked.

"I do Jordan, that's kind of the problem." Spencer answered sadly.

"Does she like you or is she mad at you?" Jordan asked.

Though Spencer shrugged because she didn't know how to answer his question Madison chimed in, "Ashley does like aunty Spencer."

"So why avoid her?" Jordan asked, obviously confused by his aunt's behavior. "If you like each other what's the problem?"

"From the mouths of babes." Glen said laughing.

Spencer shook her head and addressed Jordan, "It's complicated little man."

"So she's straight?" Jordan asked trying to understand what all the fuss was about.

"No but…" Spencer stopped to think about how to answer her nephew.

Glen jumped in, "He's a very observant five year old isn't he?"  
Jordan spoke up, "If you both like each other and you're both gay then why are you avoiding her? Are you scared aunty Spence?"

"Excellent questions little man!" Madison said approvingly then she turned to Spencer. "How about it Spence?" Spencer felt cornered but she knew she had to answer. She quietly said, "Yeah I am scared."

Glen looked at her and reached over the table to put his hand over hers, "That's natural Spence but you can't let your fears take over."

Madison chimed in, "Ashley is a remarkable woman. I think she's worth the risk."

"Plus aunty Spence you deserve to be in a happy couple like mommy and daddy." Jordan added with a huge smile.

They all laughed and resumed eating. Spencer thought about Ashley and knew they had to at least talk. Whether anything happened between them or not, eventually they would have to work together again and Spencer would prefer there to be no awkwardness between them.


	11. Chapter 11

Although Hayley and I hadn't come up with anything solidly linking the seven women besides what missing persons had indicated both wanted to get to the bottom of these cases. Unfortunately the Captain was out of the office for a couple days so we had to wait until Friday to inform him of our thoughts.

As I made my way to my desk on Friday I shook my head at my smiling partner who was already sitting at her desk. "Wait, you beat me to work everyday this week, has that ever happened before?"

"Well not before your medical leave that's for sure." Hayley laughed. "I seem to have discovered lately that I'm a morning person."

"Becoming a morning person now?" I asked with a smirk. "Or does Cory wake you up since she as to be at work at four in the morning?"

"That has been part of it but the last couple days the cats have helped wake me up. In the morning Remi and Mano decide the apartment is really the Indy 500."

I had to laugh. Hayley had slept at my house enough times for me to know what kind of sleeper she was, "How can that possibly wake you up or keep you awake? You can sleep through anything."

"Well the bed is the start line and Cory's alarm seems to be the starter pistol." Hayley laughed.

"Let me guess, they jump on her first?"

Hayley nodded and started laughing which got me going too. But I had conflicting emotions. I was happy that Hayley had found someone who seemed to make her happy and tolerated her crazy hours but at the same time I was jealous because I couldn't find that with anyone, especially Spencer.

Jameson walked up and interrupted our laughter, "I'm glad you ladies are so amused this morning but Capt is heading in and he doesn't' seem to be in such a cheery mood."

Hayley and I looked over and saw the Captain head straight to his office with an angry look on his face.

I turned back to Hayley and said, "I don't know if we should go to the Capt with this just yet. Let's go to the conference room and see if we can come up with anything useful."

Hayley looked at the cases waiting for her attention on her desk. "I can give you an hour partner."

"Thank you." I said as I got up and walked toward the conference room knowing Hayley would grab the file box.

As Spencer walked towards her office she felt apprehensive. She had been working at home as much as possible lately to avoid the Sasha Miller case craziness. She had told her boss it was less distracting to work from home and luckily her boss Donovan Bennett actually agreed. As she approached her office she saw the look on her assistant Lily's face and knew she was in for it.

When Spencer got to her desk Lily said, "The boss man wants to see you ASAP."

"Alright, let him know I'm coming." Spencer said with a sigh. She quickly dropped her stuff off in her own office before she headed to the opposite side of the floor to his office.

Usually she didn't mind encounters with Bennett because he genuinely seemed to like her but she had been avoiding the office since the Sasha Miller case took over. She knew she was stupid to think this wouldn't be recognized by the man who was the overseer of everything coming out of the DA's office.

As Spencer approached his office his secretary Jill nodded to the door, "Go ahead in Spencer, he's expecting you."

Before she opened the door she asked, "What kind of mood is he in?"

Jill shrugged and said, "Hard to tell, he's been all over the place lately. Good luck dear."

"Fucking great." Spencer mumbled as she opened the door and walked in trying to appear more confident than she felt.

"Spencer, so good to see you in the office." Donovan boomed from behind his desk. "Please come sit."

"Thanks Donny. How's it going?" Spencer tried to keep the mood light even though she knew her boss was most likely mad. Why else would he want to see her?

Donovan sighed and replied, "Honestly things would be better without the Sasha Miller case but I don't have to tell you about that. How have your cases been going? I know you have been swamped, any close to ending?"

"I have a couple that are nearly done. I typed up and sent out three plea deals yesterday. Two cases are just waiting on a court date and the last two the other lawyers are dragging their feet." Spencer informed him hoping her mostly positive new would improve his mood some.

"That's definitely good news Spencer." Donovan nodded then stood up and grabbed a file box off the floor. "I have some cases I want you to familiarize yourself with."

"Okay." Spencer said noticing the label on the box said missing persons. "What are the cases?"

"Missing women. The lieutenant, Gomez, is my brother-in-law. He thinks there's a pattern here. He even went as far as giving copies to Russo. He passed them to Ashley Davies to look over so I thought it would be good if someone here would look them through too."

Spencer's stomach jumped when he said Ashley's name. He was setting her up to work with Ashley again. Was this a good thing? Given her attraction to Ashley she should try to avoid working with her right? But work was what brought them together in the first place so maybe this was a good thing.

"Spencer!" Donovan said firmly.

"Sorry I was just thinking? I thought Ashley was on desk duty but you said she's working these cases?" Spencer asked feeling embarrassed for letting her mind wander.

"She is on desk duty so obviously she won't be running down leads but Russo wanted to put his best on this, which I agree. But I just wanted to know if you were okay with working with Ashley Davies?" He said with a bit of concern in his voice.

"That shouldn't be a problem sir." Spencer replied evenly.

"Good to hear. Just read through these and compare notes with Ashley when you're done."  
"No problem sir." Spencer said getting up to grab the box. As she picked up the box she joked, "No rest for the weary, hey?"

"The wicked don't seem to rest so neither do we Spence." Donovan said with a smile.

As she lugged the box back to her office Lily smiled, "Well you're still standing, that's a good sign."

"For now." Spencer replied with a smile. "But I was given some heavy reading."

"So limit interruptions to only the necessary ones?" Lily asked.

"You're the best!" Spencer said as she kicked her door closed. She headed to her comfy chair, poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot Lily had started and grabbed a file from the box to start with.


	12. Chapter 12

Hayley and I spread out the files on the table in front of us. We both spent a few moments just staring at the files like some bit of key information would magically jump up and slap us in the face.

I shook my head, "Even after the tenth glance these women seem completely random."

Hayley nodded her head, "Various ethnicities, ages, hair colors, eye colors, even sexual orientations. There is nothing to point to a type which kidnappers usually have right? If it's the same guy it's like he's collecting one of each." She finished in a joking voice. "I'm having a hard time seeing how these could be the same guy."

"True." I agreed but I had a feeling there was something we were missing. "Yet these women disappeared under similar circumstances so there's gotta be a link somewhere."

"Maybe," Hayley said. "Or maybe not. It could be you want there to be a link."

I turned and glared at Hayley, "Why the hell would I want there to be a serial kidnapper in Milwaukee?"

"Relax killer, that's not exactly what I meant." Hayley said with her hands up in surrender. "I just meant we're good at solving pattern killings. So if these women were all taken by the same guy we might have a better chance of solving them and maybe finding these women alive, especially her." she finished pointing at Charlie's picture.

I sighed, "Okay you've got a point."

The door opened and the Captain walked in, "Hayley I've been looking for you. We've got a shooting at the Family Dollar on Oklahoma down by St. Luke's. I need you out there."

"Yes sir." Hayley said heading for the door. "I'll check in with you later Ash."

Once she was out the door the Captain asked me, "So what have we got here?"

"Those missing women cases you wanted me to look at." I admitted hesitantly remembering the homicide cases I hadn't looked at yet.

"Anything jump out at you yet?" he asked.

"The lack of similarities actually." I had to admit. "The MO is the same, disappearing from a bar after going to a festival, but there doesn't seem to be any other similarities."

He remained quiet for a few moments. "That definitely is odd."

I hated to ask but knew I had to, "Do you want me to move on to those other cases?"

"Actually no, stick with these. Dig up everything about these women that you can and use Hayley for leg work." He said.

"But you just sent her out on a case." I replied.

"Well between her other cases obviously." he said with a smile. "Plus the DA's office already has someone on the cases too. Turns out Gomez's brother-in-law is the DA. I'm sure whoever was assigned the cases will be down to chat sometime soon."

I rolled my eyes, "Great that should be fun. All their best people are on the Miller case so it'll probably be some newbie."

"I know but it's a necessary evil. Why don't you set up in here. Get info on the boards. Might help you see something. I'm afraid some of these women may become our cases so a head start can't hurt." He said then left me alone.

I had the same concern but I wasn't ready to actually say it yet. I decided to take the Captains advice and set up in the conference room. I set my phone to play my female rock mix and began arranging the boards. As I rocked out to Halestorm, In The Moment, The Letter Black, Flyleaf and a few others I transferred the details of each woman's case.

A couple hours later I stepped back and looked at my work. As Blood by In The Moment blasted from my phone I jumped when Hayley put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Interesting soundtrack."

"Shit Hayley you scared the hell out of me." I said as I pressed pause on my phone.

"Sorry I tried to be loud coming in but with your choice of music I think I could have fired my gun and you wouldn't have heard it."

I smiled, "Yeah this just felt like a loud chick rock kind of case."

"No arguments from me, I liked the tunes." Hayley smiled back. "So Capt told me I was working this with you part time. Anything you need me to do?"

"Well I had a thought." I said and fished out the folders of statements from the people who'd gone to the bars with the women.

As the stack got bigger Hayley joked, "I should probably sit down for this."

When I was done I said, "These statements cover the time they were at the bars after they were at the festivals."

Hayley nodded, "Okay, what about when they were at the festivals?"

I just smiled, "This is why I love you Hayley Williams."

Hayley smiled then laughed. "So you want to re-interview all these people?" She asked though she already knew the answer.

"Yes but first we should probably go over the statements again to see what else needs to be asked and possibly eliminate some if they mention not being at the festival."

Hayley nodded. "Alright. First I'll go get us some coffee. Second turn the music back on just more quietly. This could take a while and silence would suck."

After Spencer read through the seven files she was left with more questions than answers. She decided to see if Donovan had a few minutes.

She walked over to Jill's desk and asked, "Any way I can get a few minutes with the boss man?"

She picked up her phone. After a moment she asked, "Spencer needs a few minutes sir." She was quiet for another moment then hung up the phone. "You've got five minutes dear."

"Thank you." she said with a huge smile.

"What can I do for you Spencer?" Donovan said not looking up from the file on his desk.

She sat down and said, "I finished looking over those missing persons files and I'm left with a lot of questions."

He grabbed a post it note and wrote down some information on it then handed it to her. "I figured that would be the case. Sorry I didn't include these numbers when I gave you the files. These are the detectives working the cases."

She looked at the note. The first name she didn't recognize and the second one was Ashley's. "Sir I know we went over this earlier but how is it possible Ashley Davies is working this case?"

"I told you earlier." Donovan insisted.

"But Ashley is a homicide detective on desk duty, why would she be working a missing persons case? Doesn't desk duty mean filing paperwork and other shitty jobs like that?"

"Okay I'll explain this again. My brother-in-law reached out because of the possible serial nature of the cases, homicide's dealt with them before. And I told him to try to get Davies and Williams on it cause they are damn good at this type of case.. Ashley is just working it from the station, Williams is doing the leg work." He explained then thought for a moment, "You worked with them on the Sasha Miller case."

"Yes I did." was all she said.

"That's great, I can't believe I forgot that." he said with a smile. "Go to them first them go from there." He looked at the clock and said, "I gotta run, was that all Spence?"

"Yeah thanks." she aid then walked back to her office in a daze. She was going to be working with Ashley again and she had no idea how she felt about the situation.

Hayley and I had been hard at work and had completely lost track of time. A knock at the door surprised us both and we turned to see who was there.

Hayley smiled as the door opened, "Hey hun, I didn't realize how late it was."

"Yeah and you guys aren't paying attention to your phones either." Cory said as she walked in.

I laughed when I saw six missed texts. I looked back at Cory then realized something was missing, "Where's my son?"

Cory pointed out towards the desks where Sebastian was talking to some of the detectives. It looked like they were listening intently to a story. "He told me to drag you guys out of here while he said hi."

I laughed, "Figures. Thanks again for getting him from school today Cory."

She smiled, "Anytime Ash, he's fun."

I stood up and said, "Alright I owe you ladies dinner. Where are we going?"

"How about Chinese take out at your place?" Hayley suggested. "I don't really feel like going to a restaurant."

I looked over at Cory who nodded, "Alright, I'm sold. Call it in."

"We'll take Sebastian home and you get the food?" Hayley suggested after she ordered.

"Sounds like a plan." I said as we went to retrieve Sebastian.

As I walked up to the door with my arms full of food I was surprised to see someone walking towards me.

Before I could say anything Bash opened the door and saw the visitor. "Spencer! You came over for dinner too?"

"Well I… actually…"

I looked at her and said, "We've got plenty. Come on in and eat."

"I guess but…"

"Here buddy, put this on the table." I said handing Bash a bag then I put the other on the counter and shut the door. "What's up Spence?"

"I wanted to talk but I can come back later."

I looked at her for a moment then asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No." Spencer admitted. "But I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding. It's just Hayley, Cory, Bash and I. Hayley ordered the food so there's enough for a small army." I said with a smile.

Spencer returned the smile, "Wait who's Cory?"

"Hayley's girlfriend."

Spencer shook her head, "Wait Hayley has a girlfriend?"

"Yep," I said with a laugh. "And she seems pretty normal."

We both laughed then I said, "Come join us for dinner. Aiden should be back by the time we're done then we can go upstairs and talk."

Spencer thought for a moment and could come up with no reason to not stay. "Alright I'll stay. Thank you."

I just smiled and opened the door for her.


End file.
